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| Picture by Kolohe |
Since we were not familiar with downtown Nashville (Tennessee), we decided to taka a guided tour of the area. After looking at the different tour options, we found that rather than taking a group bus tour, for a slightly higher fee we could get a private guided tour in a golf cart. We knew that we made the right decision when we found out that the tour company was located on Hawkins Street. Our tour guide told us that there were no set routes and we could chose our own route from over 35 different destinations and stop at the places that looked interesting.
While we were checking in at the tour headquarters, there were four women waiting for a their own tour that had matching shirts stating: "Girl's Trip CHEAPER THAN THERAPY." Kolohe took a picture of one of their shirts and asked them where they were from. It turned out that they were from an area just west of Yankton, South Dakota. We visited with them before we left and then saw them again at various places along the way. |
| Picture by Kolohe |
At the Korean Veterans Boulevard roundabout there is an art project called "Stix" that was made by world renowned artist Christian Moeller. The 70-foot tall poles are made of red cedar wood and for the poles to stand at the correct angles, each pole required a hole 15-feet deep that had to be drilled through solid Tennessee Limestone. This was reported to be the most expensive public art piece in Nashville.
Along the route we also passed several murals painted on building walls. The number "615" on the Tennessee Titan football uniform is the telephone area code for Nashville.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The 1.2 million square-foot Nashville Convention Center is also home of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Printed literature states: "When viewed from the air, the building forms a massive bass clef. The point on the sweeping arch of the building suggests the tailfin of a 1959 Cadillac sedan. The building's front windows resemble piano keys. The tower on top of the Rotunda that extends down the Hall of Fame is a replica of the distinctive diamond-shaped WSM radio tower, which was originally built in 1932 just south of Nashville and is still in operation."
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The Nashville Visitor Center, Bridgestone Arena, and Ryman Auditorium are located just north of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Our tour guide drove us down Broadway, but told us that we had to return in the afternoon or evening to really "experience" Broadway.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
At the Legends Corner Painting, Taylor Swift (just to the left of Johnny Cash) has been replaced with Brad Paisley because she betrayed country music when she started doing pop songs. However, a lock of Swift's hair was intentionally left showing just behind Paisley's hat.
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| Web Picture - Photographer Unknown |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
There is a beautiful statue in front of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The Center occupies the entire city block and is home of the Nashville symphony. We were told that a Schoenstein organ in the concert hall has 47 voices, 64 ranks, and 3,565 pipes with three 32-foot stops.
East Broadway ends at Riverfront Park adjacent to the Cumberland river. Our guide stopped so we could take pictures and explained that the 45-foot tall "Light Meander" sculpture by Lura Haddad and Tom Drugan represents the course of the Cumberland River as it runs through Nashville.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Directly across the Cumberland River is the large 100-foot tall Ghost Ballet sculpture by Alice Aycock. The Nissan Stadium where the Titans play their football games is also located on the east side of the river.
Statue of Ronnie playing the guitar. (Well, it kind of looks like Ronnie.)
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum honors all musicians regardless of genre or instrument. Membership is by nomination from current members of the American Federation of Musicians and by other music industry professionals.
The only guitar-shaped baseball scoreboard in the world is located at First Horizon Park, home of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The $123.8 million 165,000 square-foot Tennessee State Library & Archives was constructed in 2018. In most states the Library and Archives are administered by different agencies, but in Tennessee both agencies are administered jointly. The library contains 700,000 print volumes, over a million photographic images, thousands of vertical files, microfilm reels, and legislative audiocassettes.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The Tennessee State Capitol is one of only 12 state capitols that does not have a dome. Located on the Capitol grounds is the tomb of President James K. Polk, 11th president of the United states.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
We stopped by the year-round Farmers Market where they have fresh produce, artisanal food, restaurants, shops, and crafts for sale. While we were there, we purchased some frozen produce - I had one dip of Blueberry Cheesecake over one dip of Mint Chocolate Chip, on a sugar cone.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
(Nashville Downtown tour to be continued next week.)
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